Family visas for Australia: which visa fits your relationship

Australian family visas are chosen by the relationship between the applicant and the sponsor: a child, a parent, another relative or a New Zealand citizen’s family each have their own visa, and Home Affairs covers partner visas. Enquiries from this site go to Australian Migration Lawyers. This site does not compare law firms.

Select a circle on the tree. Fees checked 19 October 2026; queue figures as at 31 August 2026.

Family visas by relationship

Subclasses are grouped by the person who wants to come. A cost shown is the Home Affairs charge for one applicant, with the instalments where there are two.

Relationship	Visa subclass	Sponsor or qualifying family connection	Stay	Queue	Government cost signal
Parent: see parent visa Australia	103 Parent; 804 Aged Parent	Usually an eligible child who is settled in Australia; 804 needs age-pension age and the applicant in Australia	Permanent	Capped and queued; new-application estimate 42 years	From AUD8,665 (AUD6,600 then AUD2,065)
Parent	143 Contributory Parent; 864 Contributory Aged Parent	As above	Permanent	Capped and queued; estimate 18 years	From AUD49,900
Parent	173 and 884 (temporary first stage of 143 and 864)	As above	2 years	Parent queue	From AUD33,375 and AUD35,430
Parent	870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary)	An approved Parent Sponsor who is the child, or the child’s partner	3 or 5 years at a time, 10 years in total	Home Affairs processing time guide	AUD1,515 then AUD4,855 (3 years) or AUD10,925 (5 years)
Child: see child visa 802	101 from outside Australia; 802 from inside; 102 Adoption	A parent, or the parent’s partner, who is a citizen, eligible NZ citizen or permanent visa holder	Permanent	Not on the Home Affairs queue pages	AUD4,040 base charge
Other relative: see relatives visa Australia	115 and 835 Remaining Relative	An eligible parent, sibling or the relative’s partner; Assurance of Support applies	Permanent	Capped and queued; estimate 26 years	AUD6,600 then AUD2,065
Other relative	114 and 838 Aged Dependent Relative	An eligible relative; applicant at age-pension age, dependent for 3 years, no partner	Permanent	Capped and queued; estimate 26 years	AUD6,600 then AUD2,065
Orphaned child	117 and 837 Orphan Relative	A sibling, grandparent, aunt or uncle (or step equivalent)	Permanent	Not on the Home Affairs queue pages	AUD2,475 base charge
NZ citizen’s family: see 461 visa	461	Family unit of a NZ citizen who is not an eligible NZ citizen	5 years	Not on the Home Affairs queue pages	AUD1,330
Partner or fiancé(e)	Not covered	Home Affairs	Not covered	Not covered	Not covered
Child of a partner visa holder	445 Dependent Child	Same sponsor as the parent’s partner visa	Temporary	Not covered	AUD4,040 base charge
Carer	116 and 836	Signposted only	Permanent	Capped and queued; estimate 16 years	From AUD2,720 base charge

Sources: Home Affairs visa pages and current visa pricing (fees 19 October 2026); Home Affairs parent visa queue page and other family visa queue page, updated 6 October 2026.

Partner or fiancé(e): where this guide stops

Partner and fiancé(e) visas are not covered here. The Department of Home Affairs has a family visa finder for joining family in Australia that starts with the relationship.

Family Program places in 2026-27

The 2026-27 Permanent Migration Program has 185,000 places, announced 12 May 2026, and the Family Program has 52,460 of them. Selected categories:

Category	2026-27 places
Child	3,500
Parent	7,060
Other Family	400

Offshore or onshore: the subclass pairs

Each pair is one visa assessed in two places. Where the applicant is when applying decides the subclass.

Visa	Applicant outside Australia	Applicant inside Australia
Child	101	802
Remaining Relative	115	835
Aged Dependent Relative	114	838
Orphan Relative	117	837

Queues and the Department’s estimates

Parent visas and most Other Family visas are capped, so applications wait in a queue. Estimates are for a new application and are not a forecast for one person.

Visa group	New-application estimate	Released for final processing, as at 31 August 2026
Contributory Parent	18 years	Queue date up to November 2018
Contributory Aged Parent	18 years	Queue date up to November 2020
Parent (103)	42 years	Queue date up to March 2014
Aged Parent (804)	42 years	Queue date up to October 2014
Remaining Relative and Aged Dependent Relative	26 years	Queue date up to 30 June 2013

The sponsor depends on the visa. The guide to how to sponsor a family member to Australia sets out each case, and Assurance of Support covers the separate money commitment that parent and relative visas carry.

Parent visas: usually an eligible child. The 870 needs an approved Parent Sponsor with taxable income of at least AUD83,454.80.
Child visas: a parent or the parent’s partner.
Relative visas: a relative who is settled in Australia, within the visa’s list.

What looks like a family visa but is not

Visitor visa 600, Sponsored Family stream: temporary, with a standard stay of 3 months, for a listed relative. See visitor visa for parents.
Skilled Work Regional (491): a state or territory nomination or an eligible relative sponsors, and skilled requirements apply. The family-sponsored stream has its own page.

Who counts as family

The rules use three tests: family unit, relative and dependent child. See member of the family unit for the differences.

Unregistered agents: illegal, and uninsured

Giving immigration assistance without being registered is an offence under section 280 of the Migration Act 1958, unless an exemption applies. An Australian lawyer acting in legal practice is one of those exemptions.

An unregistered agent carries no professional indemnity insurance. If their mistake costs a reader a refusal, lost fees or a closed pathway, there is no insurer to claim against. A practising Australian lawyer must carry that insurance.

Ask an Australian migration lawyer

Questions about a family visa application go to an Australian migration lawyer. A family visa lawyer can check an application before it is lodged. Enquiries from this site go to Australian Migration Lawyers through the enquiry form.